Hypothesis
In respect to the broader research question, I hypothesize that Start-Up Chile has positively contributed to the region’s development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, making it a leading hub for entrepreneurship in the region. To address my first subquestion, I hypothesize that the introduction of Latin America’s first start-up accelerator in 2010 has had spillover effects for the region and led to a greater level of venture capital funding acitvity in the past 10 years. This will be mainly supported by the results of quantitative analyses and data visualizations.
In respect to my second subquestion, I hypothesize that the establishment of the Start-Up Chile program has indeed influenced Chilean entrepeneurial activity and their propensity to start businesses, and in a positive direction. This is mainly due to social, peer effects, where greater exposure to successful entrepreneurs can encourage others to also pursue a career in entrepreneurship. I plan to support this argument with quantitative analyses of survey data specifically measuring entrepreneurial activity and intentions over time. In terms of the underlying mechanisms, I hypothesize that Start-Up Chile has contributed to a greater number of successful start-ups in Chile, which has signaled entrepreneurship as a more viable career to the general public and has encouraged greater entrepreneurial activity.
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